Chapter 67: Dividing the “Small Box”
Ren took out a long “small box” about as wide as he could carry and plunged one end of it into the river.
Splash, splash!
Magic fish gathered around. Once a few had slipped inside the “small box,” he drained the water and pulled it back out of the river.
Plop
One fish failed to get inside, slapped the water with its tail, and flipped away. Ren gathered magic into his index finger, aimed at the fish, and focused.
“Water.”
Shoo!
Water shot from his fingertip and splashed into the river.
Splash!
He had aimed for the fish’s back, but it didn’t seem hurt at all. Instead, it opened and closed its mouth at the water’s surface, as if checking where the splash had landed.
The impact of the water blob was more like tossing a pebble. If it had been an actual stone, the splash would’ve been bigger—and it might have injured the fish.
But Ren’s water attack was so weak it merely attracted the fish, as if he’d tossed it food.
“…If it had more force… could I actually take one down…?”
He tried again, this time imagining the water shooting out with more power.
Splash!
The splash was bigger than before, but the fish still showed no sign of damage. Worse, even more fish gathered around where the water landed.
“Still no good… But if I practice more… maybe I could fish using ‘Water Magic’…”
He remembered how Yona had looked disappointed, saying she could “only make water.”
Ren hadn’t been formally taught magic—everything he knew came from books in the mansion’s study—but he didn’t believe water magic was limited to just producing water.
After all, the earth magic skill Lewis had wasn’t just about creating dirt. He trained by forming defensive walls, and he could even clean mud off his shoes.
“…Maybe… move water…?”
With the “Clean Shoes” spell, you didn’t create dirt—you manipulated what was already there. If that was possible, maybe water magic could move water too.
He stared at the fish swimming in the river. They circled nearby, watching him cautiously.
Ren raised both hands toward the water and began gathering magic.
The moment a fish passed his target spot, he released the spell.
Splash!
The river’s surface surged unnaturally, and a fish leapt up before diving back down.
“Ahh!”
It felt close—so close that he couldn’t help but shout.
He was sure he’d managed to move the water a little with magic. He had imagined lifting part of the river and tossing the fish onto the bank, but he couldn’t control it as well as he’d hoped.
“Alright, one more time—”
Flop! Flop!
Just as he was about to try again, the fish inside the “small box” started thrashing.
“Oh—gotta finish them and bleed them first…”
There were three fish inside. As he gripped his knife to finish them off, he realized it was hard to stab properly with all three crowded together.
He considered taking out another “small box” and separating them, but then another idea struck him.
“What if I split the box itself…?”
“Small box—divide!”
He narrowed the box just enough to restrict each fish’s movement, then aimed between them and imagined slicing the box apart.
Slice!
A shortened “small box” fell onto the grass by the riverbank. Inside, one fish twitched its gills.
Ren’s eyes lit up.
“It worked! Then this one too—Small box, divide!”
He split the box holding the other two fish.
Slice!
“Ah!”
One box now held a fish and its severed head. The other contained a headless fish. Both boxes were stained red with blood.
“Whoa… But I guess that finished it off…?”
He hadn’t meant to cut the fish in half. The sudden blood made him panic for a moment, but then he realized even using a knife would’ve caused bleeding.
Still a bit nervous, he pulled out his notes.
《Handling Magic Fish》
- Silencing
Stab deeply between the fish’s eyes, slightly above.
Do not cut the gills while it is still alive. - Bleeding
Once the fish stops moving, quickly cut the artery behind the gill cover.
While the heart is still faintly beating, submerge it in clean running water and drain all the blood. - Extracting the Magic Stone
The stone lies deep on the underside between the pectoral fins.
After bleeding, remove it before cutting open the belly. - Cleaning and Storage
After removing the stone, promptly discard the organs and wash the cavity with cold water.
《Cooking Magic Fish》
- For scaled fish, lightly roast over fire to make scaling easier.
- After gutting, skewer the fish and roast it over a campfire.
- Keep the heat moderate—cook it slowly.
- It’s ready when the skin splits and fat begins to drip.
“…It doesn’t say whether cutting off the head is okay or not…”
He had copied only the key points from a book called Field Guide for Squires. It had been long, so he skipped parts—maybe the missing section explained this. But there was no way to check now.
“…So I stab a bit above between the eyes…”
Since there were still more fish, he decided not to worry about the mistake. For now, he would just follow the instructions.
Gripping his knife, Ren drove it into the spot above the fish’s eyes.